Scoop: Johnson, conservatives get FISA briefing at White House

Kate Santaliz

A man in a navy suit and red tie, holding a dark portfolio, walks through a hallway surrounded by reporters and photographers filming him with smartphones. — Speaker Mike Johnson speaks to reporters after a press conference on March 25. Photo: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La,), Freedom Caucus members and other FISA-skeptical lawmakers went to the White House this morning for a briefing on reauthorizing the surveillance authority, four sources told Axios.

Why it matters: Johnson may not have the votes to pass a clean extension of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act — a must-pass bill the White House is pressing to renew.

GOP leaders and President Trump are pushing hard for an 18-month reauthorization.
But conservatives are demanding changes, putting Johnson in a familiar bind when it comes to getting the rule passed.

Driving the news: Members received a briefing Tuesday night on Capitol Hill that got heated, as conservatives demanded warrant requirements be added to the bill.

"I just think we've got to continue to protect the Fourth Amendment, and that's my position at this point," Rep. Mark Harris (R-N.C.) told Axios on Wednesday.

The other side: Johnson has argued that changes made to FISA during the 2024 reauthorization are sufficient, and that adding warrant requirements would be "unworkable."

"It's a very important tool to keep Americans safe, and it's not something to play around with," Johnson told reporters Tuesday.
"It will be fine," House Judiciary Committee chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) said Wednesday, referring to Congress reauthorizing FISA.

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Scoop: Johnson, conservatives get FISA briefing at White House

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